Feeler mechanism for looms



. 1,590,788 G. H. WILLARD FEELER MECHANISM FOR LOOMS June. 29 1926.

Filed Feb. 9, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A TTO'RNEY June 29 ,1926; 1,590,788

- G. H. WILLARD FEELER MECHANISM FOR LOOMS Filed Feb. 9, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lNVE/VTOR fiwfz. 1!. km

- ATTORNEY aYW-M.

Patented June 29, 1926 nairan STATES PATENT QFFECE.

GEORGE H. VTILLARD, F HOYEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO DRAPER COR POBA'IION, OF HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A-CORPORA TION OF MAINE.

.FEELER MECHANISIQ FOR LQOMCS.

Application filed February 9, 1926. Serial No. 87,047.

This invention relates to feeler mechanisms tor looms and more particularly to feeler mechanisms of the intermittent type wherein the feeler has periods of activity and periods of inactivity during weaving.

In the intermittent type of feeler mechanisms, the feeler is ordinarily held in a frontward or inoperative position for periods of time by a detent or pawl or similar device, and is freed at intervals by means oi a trip which permits the feeler to move backwardly to its feeling position. Should a working supply of filling be present in the shuttle during an active period of the feeler, it is moved trontwardly by the filling on a detecting beat and again the pawl or detent engages a tooth or should-er on the feeler to hold it in its inoperative position. Where the teeler is provided with a series of teeth or a shoulder for engagement by the detent or pawl to hold the feeler in its frontward position, the spaced intervals of the teeth or the location of the shoulder determines the position of the :teeler in its inoperative position. The filling carriers on whichthe filling is wound are not always of the same size, with the result that it may happen at times that the feeler may not be movedinto proper position frontwardly for engagement by the detent or pawl.

One of the obj ects of the present invention is to provide a feeler mechanism of the intermittent type wherein the teeler may be held in any frontward position to which it may be moved by the filling, whether on a large or a small bobbin, and in carrying out this feature of the invention a frictional gripping device is provided which will be Other features of the invention and new combinations of parts will best be made clear from the following description and the accompanying thereof.

drawings of oneg-ood form The purpose of the feeler mechanism in a loom isto change the operative condition of the loom when the filling becomes substantially exhausted, and such change may be characterized by stopping the loom or by replenishing the lling. In the present instance of the invention, filling replenishment is effected but the filling replenishing mechanism and its details form no 'es sential part of the present invention and are not, therefore herein shown and d-escribed, as they are now well understood.

The loom frame 1 may be or" usual construction and mounted on the breast beam '2 are the brackets 3 furnishing a bearing tor the transverse or rock shaft 4, from which rises the arm 5 connected .at 6 to an actuator 7 extending over the breast beam or shipper stand. Pivotally connected to the actuator 7 at 8 is the rearwardly extending linger 9 adapted at times to be engaged by an operating member 10 which, in the present instance, is shown as the cam follower or a part connected thereto. The arm 9 has a finger 11 beneath which is positioned the arm 12 of a bell crank lever pivoted at 13 on a bracket 14 secured to the shipper stand. The other arm 15 of the bell crank is connected to .a transmitter 16 under control of the feeler mechanism. 8

The transmitter 16 is connected at 17 to a slide 18 mounted for transverse movement in a bearing 20 at the rear of the :teeler stand 21 and the latter is adjustably connected to the shipper stand by a bolt 22.

'Theslide 18 has a slot through which the feeler 23 extends, and the front end portion of the feeler is provided with a. stem 24 which passes through a swivel block 25 mounted on the feeler stand. Between the swivel block 25 and a collar 26 secured to the feeler is a spring 27 normally acting to move the feeler into a rearward feeling position.

" bracket, as at 11 and 42. p

that both frictional gripping members shall be pivotally supported but it may not al- The lay 28 is provided with the usual shuttle box 29 for the reception of the shuttle 30 and the front wall of the shuttle box is provided with an opening 31 which registers with the corresponding opening 32 in' the front wall of the'shuttle when the latter is properly boxed, the construction be ing such that duringan active period of the feeler 23 it may enter the shuttle and feel for the filling. The parts so far described may be substantially as more fully shown and described in the patent to Edward S. Stimpscn, No. 1,309,226, July 8, 1919.

The feeler stand has connected thereto a bracket for supporting the frictional holding-device and, asshown in the present instance of the invention, the front portion 33 of the bracket extendslaterally or transversely of the path of movement of the feeler, while the rearwardly extending fiange 34: affords a convenient means for adjustably connecting the bracket to the feeler stand by means of a bolt 35 which is positioned through .a slot 36 in the flange 3%. By loosening the bolt 35 and. manipulation of the adjusting screw' 33, the frictional gripping devicesupport orbracket maybe adjusted towards and from the front of the loom.

The frictional gripping device for holding the feeler in its frontward or inoperative position may be variously contrived to act upon. the feeler when it is moved frontwardly by a working supply of filling in the shuttle on a detecting beat and to hold the feeler into the frontward position to which it has been pushed by the filling regardless of the size of the working supply of filling in the shuttle. As shown more particularly in Fig. 2, the gripping device comprises two members 39 and 40 which in the present iiistance of the invention are both pivotally supported upon the front portion .33 of the It is preferable ways be necessary. Thefrictional gripping members 39 and 40 extend transversely of the loom or path of movement of the feeler and are provided with frictional gripping t l 44 t f' t l su iaces 0 ant it o no ionaiy ,iipine frontwardly extending stem of the feeler and by their frictional grip hold the feeler 11'1 its frontwar-d position. g 4

To eXert a frictional grip upon the feeler stem, the gripping members are under the influence of a spring, and where .two gripping members are employed, as shown in Fig. 2, the spring i5 is interposed between .the nonactive ends of the frictional gripping members. As shown, the members 39 and 40 are provided with sockets 46 and i7 which afford a convenient means for hous ing the spring4i5.

51 carrying a. pin or roller 52, which, when moved laterally in one direction, serves to relatively separate the frictional gripping members and thereby release the feeler. The

trip 51 has a "finger '53 which overlies a plunger 54: mounted for endwisemovement in a casing 55 and the lower end of the plunger 54 is adapted to be engaged by a flexible wire 56 contained in a flexible sheath 5(. The wire and sheath may be conveniently supported in the housing 55 by means of a set screw 58, the construction being such that should the flexible wire 56 be moved endwisein its sheath 57, it will engage the lower end of the plunger 54 and move it upwardly, thereby causing the trip to separate the frictional gripping members 39 and 40 and release the feeler. To nor mally retain the plunger 54: retracted, a spring 59 is contained with-in the casing 55 and bears upon the lower-end of the plunger, asmore clearly indicated in Fig. 2.

In accordance with the present invention, the feeler is tobe held in its frontward or inactive position for periods of time, to thereby not contact with the filling on detecting beats with any injurious effect, and to be released at intervals to the performance of itsfeeli-iig function. The tripping device may be actuated at intervals to trip the frictional holding members and free the feeler, from any going part of the loom, but as indicated in Fig. 1, such tripping device is actuated from the transmission shaft which imparts movement to the take-up.

Mounted in the lower part of the loom is the shaft 60 which has driving connection with the transmission shaft 61 which extends frontwardly of the loom and through connecting mechanism including the gear 62 and the pinion -63 imparts movement to the I takeup, as usual.

Secured to the transmission shaft 61 is the worm 64: which is operatively connected tion, so that contact of the feeler with the filling will not be injurious to the latter, and inasmuch as the tripping finger 69 acts quickly to release the feeler and then goes out of action, the feeler will be released under the timing of the mechanism as the lay closely approaches its front position, and immediately thereafter the trip 51 will go out of action to permit the frictional gripping members to again grip the frontwardly extending stem of the feeler provided a working supply of filling is'present in the shuttle on a detecting beat. The result is that the feeler does not move a material distance rearwardly when it is tripped from the frictional gripping members and engages the filling with non-injurious effect, and in case a working supply is present in the shuttle, the feeler will be again gripped and held by the frictional gripping device in any position to which it may be pushed by the amount of working filling still remaining in the shuttle. In other words, when a working supply of filling of any amount is present in the shuttle on a detecting beat, the feeler has a momentary release to engage the filling, is then moved frontwardly a short distance against the gripping action of the frictional gripping members and is at once held in its frontward position to which it has been pushed by the working supply of fillin Should a working supply of filling not be present in the shuttle on a detecting beat or the filling is approaching close to substantial exhaustion, the amount of filling Will not be suiiicient to move the stem of the feeler into the gripping action of the frictional gripping members on a detecting beat, but the feeler will remain in action, and through the train of mechanism acting through the transmitter will call for a change of filling.

Inasmuch as the feeler is disengaged from between the gripping members when the filling is substantially exhausted, and is to be returned to the control of the frictional gripping members when the shuttle has been replenished with filling of working supply,

the present invention provides that each gripping member 39 and 40 shall be provided on its rearward face with a flaring mouth at the gripping portions 43 and 4A, as indicated at 71, Fig. 3, the effect being that when after call for replenishment the feeler is again moved frontwardly by a Working supply of filling, the frontwardly extending stem 24 of the feeler will move into the flaring mouths 71 of the gripping members and be guided thereby between the gripping surfaces 43 and 44 to be thereupon held in the front position to which it has been pushed by a working supply of filling in the replenished shuttl The feeler in the present instance of the invention is shown of the inclined type similar in this respect to the feeler mechanism of the Stimpson patent hereinbefore mentioned, and is displaced laterally to call for a change of filling by the frontward pres sure of the substantially exhausted filling carrier in the shuttle, but it is to be under- The frictional grip upon the feeler to hold it in its frontward position to which it may have been moved by a working supply of filling engages and holds the feeler regard-v less of the amount of the working supply of filling present in the shuttle, so long as a working supply of filling be present, and thus avoids any uncertainty that may be incident to a detent or toothed gripping device.

What is claimed is:

1.. In an intermittent feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler having periods of inactivity during weaving, a frie tional gripping device for engaging and holding the feeler in any inoperative position to which it may be moved by frontward movement of the lay, and a trip for freeing the feeler from the frictional gripping device at intervals.

In an intermittent feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler having periods of inactivity during weaving, a frictional gripping device comprising two members for holding the feeler in any inope 'ative position to which it is moved by froutward movement of the lay, and a trip for freeing the feeler from the frictional gripping device at intervals.

In an intermittent feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler having periods of inactivity during weaving, a frictional gripping device for holding the feeler in any inoperative position to which it has been moved by frontward movement of the. lay, means normally acting to yieldingly force the two members towards each other to frictionally grip the feeler, and a trip for freeing the feeler from the frictional gripping device at intervals.

i. In an intermittent feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler having periods of inactivity during weaving, a frictional gripping device to frictionally engage the feeler and hold it in any frontward inoperative position to which it may have been moved by a working supply of filling on at detecting beat, and a trip for freeing the feeler from the frictional gripping device at intervals.

5. In an intermittent feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler, a frictional gripping device for holding the feeler in any frontward inoperative position to which it may be moved by frontward movement of thelayand comprising two members between which the feeler extends,

a spring for moving the members relatively to grip the feeler between them, and a trip for freeing the feeler from the frictional gripping device at intervals. 7

6. In an intermittent feeler mechanism feeler in any frontward inoperativeposition to which it may be moved by frontward movement. of the lay and comprising two members between which the feeler extends, a spring for moving the membersrelatively to grip the feeler between them, and a trip for separating the friction gripping members at intervals to free the feeler.

7. in an intermittent feeler mechanism for looms, the combination ofa feeler, a frictional gripping device comprising two iembers between which the feeler may be moved frontwardly by a workin supply of filling in opposition to the frictional grip of said members and by which it may be frictionally held in any inoperative position to which it is so moved frontwardly,

and a trip for freeing the feeler from such frictional grip at intervals.

8. In an intermittent feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler, a frictional gripping device comprising two members between which the feeler may be moved frontwardly by a working supplycof normally acting to move the I feeler rear wardl .a device acting frictionally upon the feeler to retain it in any frontward position to which it may be moved by a working supply of filling in trip for freeingthe feeler from said device and means for operating the trip at interva-ls.

10. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the

combination of a feeler, means normallyacting to move the teeler rearwardly, a frictional gripping device to frictionally hold ing the'members towards each other to grip and hold the teeler retracted in any inoperative position to which it is moved by frontward movement of the lay, and a trip for freeing the feeler from the grip of said iii-embers at intervals.

12. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler, a gripping device comprising two frictional gripping memhere one of which is mounted for pivotal movement relative to the other, a spring acting to close the gripping members upon the feeler to hold it frictionally in any reracted position to which it is moved by front-ward movement of the lay, and a trip for relatively separating the gripping members at intervals to free the feeler.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification. I

GEORGE H. XVILLARD.

o osition to said means a 

